Harness.



W. J. HOLDER.

HARNESS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 25, 1907.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ami memes W. J. HOLDER.

HARNESS.

APPLICATION IILIID NOV. 25, 1907.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

n-u: mmms PEYIZRS cu, WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON HOLDER, OF LONE OAK, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TOJAMES J. OOPPEDGE AND ONE-FOURTH TO GROVER O.

RABB, BOTH OF LONE OAK, TEXAS.

HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed November 25, 1907. Serial No. 403,758.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. HOLDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lone Oak, in the county of Hunt and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Harness, of which the following is aspecification.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide novelhold-back mechan ism to be employed in connection with harness, saidmechanism eliminating the necessity of a breeching, thus producing acleaner harness and one that leaves the animals limbs entirely free,besides doing away with the necessity of slackness.

A further and important object is to provide a harness of this characterthat can be readily applied to and removed from an animal, and one thatcan be readily hitched to and unhitched from a vehicle; furthermore toprovide a harness that will not wear upon the horse or other animal, andone that will afford a comparatively great degree of safety, thus beingparticularly applicable for use on young and inexperienced horses.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of theharness showing it applied to an animal. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a detail sectional view substantially on the line4- of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through the rein guide.Fig. 6 illustrates a slightly different form of connection between thehold back straps and the shafts or thills. Fig. 7 is still anotherembodiment of this portion of the invention.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The harness in so far as the forward draft is concerned is substantiallythat well known to the art. Thus in the present embodiment, a saddle 8is provided, from which extends the usual girth or belly band 9. Abreast strap 10 has connected thereto the traces 11, said breast strapbeing supported by a neck strap 12. A longitudinal back strap 13 extendsfrom the saddle S, and has attached to its 'rear end, the usual crupper14.

As already stated in the present invention, the breeching is dispensedwith, but instead a short transverse back strap is connected centrallyto the back strap 13 and crupper 14 at substantially their juncture. Thestrap 15 is supported upon a bearing or wear sheet 16, and carries atits ends rings 17. A short transverse belly strap 18 is located in rearof the girth 9, and carries on its upper side a comparatively broadbearing or wear sheet 19. The ends of the strap 18 are provided withsnap hooks 20 engaged in rings 21. The rings 17 of the transverse backstrap 15 are connected to the corresponding rings 21 of the belly strap18 by extensible straps 22.

Suspended from the saddle 8 by straps 23 are the usual tugs 2% thatsupport the shafts or thills 25. These tugs, as shown, carry dependingrings 26, and said rings are connected to the rings 21 of the bellystraps 18 by extensible straps Q7. l orn'ardly extending hold-backstraps 28, also connected to the rings 26 of the tugs, are arranged tobe connected to the shafts or thills. Thus in the structure disclosed inFigs. 1 and 2, said straps 28 are fastened to cups 29 that detachablyengage over the ends of the thills, while in the structure disclosed inFig. 7, said strap 28 has a snap book 29 at its front end that isconnected to a ring 30 secured to the under side of the shaft or thill.Instead of hold-back straps, the tugs 24, as illustrated in Fig. 6, maybe abutted against stop collars 29 mounted on the shafts or thills andheld in place by set screws, as 30. In any case, the result issubstantially the same, but the cups 29 are probably preferred.

WVhere young, inexperienced or fractious animals are driven, straps 30are preferably employed, and have snap hooks 31 at their upper ends,said snap hooks being located in the rings 17 of the transverse backstrap 15. The lower ends of said straps 30 are looped about the shaftsor thills, as illustrated at 32. These straps 30 may also be providedwith intermediate loops 88 constituting guides for the reins 34, saidguides thus maintaining the reins far enough away from the tail of theanimal to prevent the same being placed thereover.

Experience has demonstrated that harness of this character constituteseffective means for holding back the vehicle without the use of abreeching, and thus leaves the animals legs entirely free, avoidingworry to the animals and to the driver, and also providing a muchcleaner harness. It will be evident that the animal may be hitched to oru'n hitched from the vehicle with ease and expedition, and in likemanner the harness may be readily placed upon and removed from suchanimal. In a structure of this kind, moreover, practically all the slackcan be taken out of the harness, eliminating to a very great degree thejerks and shocks in passing over rough places or when the animal changeshis speed. IVhile the straps 30 are not absolutely necessary, they areadvantageous in that they not only assist in maintaining the parts inproper position, but prevent the animal kicking and by providing reinguides, will eliminate the danger of the animal placing his tail overthe reins and thus holding them.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation andmany advan tages of the herein described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, without further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advan tages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a harness of the character set forth,

the combination with a girth, of shaft or thill supporting meansassociated with the girth, a crupper, a transverse back strap located inadvance of the crupper, a transverse belly strap located in rear of thegirth, downwardly and forwardly inclined straps connecting the ends ofthe back and belly straps and having their ends secured to the same, andforwardly and upwardly inclined straps connecting the ends of the bellystrap and the thill supporting means and having their ends securedthereto.

2. In a harness of the character set forth, the combination with agirth, of shaft or thill supporting means associated with the girth, acrupper, a transverse back strap lo cated in advance of the crupper, atransverse belly strap located in rear of the girth, terminal ringssecured to the back strap, the belly strap and the shaft or thillsupporting means, straps connecting and secured to the rings of the backand belly straps, and straps connecting and secured to the rings of thebelly strap and shaft or thill supporting means.

3. In a harness, the combination with a saddle and girth, of tugssupported therefrom, a back strap extending rearwardly from the saddle,a crupper connected to the rear end of the back strap, a transverselydisposed back strap secured to the first mentioned back strap in advanceof the crupper,

ceases strap and the girth, rings connected-to the transverse backstrap, the transverse belly strap and the tugs, straps connecting therings of the transverse back strap and belly strap, and strapsconnecting the rings of the transverse belly strap and the tugs.

4-. In a harness, the combination with a saddle and girth, of alongitudinal back strap extending from the saddle, a crupper connectedto the rear end of the back strap, tugs supported from the saddle, atransverse back strap connected to the longitudinal back located in rearof the girth, straps connecting the ends of the transverse back andbelly straps and secured thereto, straps connecting the ends of thetransverse belly strap and the tugs and secured thereto, and otherstraps fastened to the ends of the transverse back strap and attachableto the shafts or thills.

In a harness of the character set forth, the combination with a girthand tugs, of transverse back and belly straps located in rear of thegirth and tugs, the belly strap terminating below the horizontal line ofthe tugs, straps connecting and secured to the ends of the transverseback and belly st 'aps, straps connecting and secured to the bellystraps and tugs, and hold-back means associated with said tugs.

G. In harness, the combination with a girth and tugs, of transverse backand belly straps located in rear of the girth and tugs, the ends of thebelly strap being located in a lower plane than the ends of the backstrap, straps connecting the said ends of the transverse back and bellystraps and also connecting the same and the tugs, hold-back strapsconnected to the tugs, and means for connecting the hold back straps tothe thills or shafts.

T. In harness, the combination with a saddle and girth, of alongitudinal back strap, a crapper connected thereto, a transverselydisposed back strap located substantially at the juncture of the crapperand longitudinal back strap, a belly strap located in rear of the girth,straps connecting the ends of the back straps and. the belly strap,other straps connecting the ends of the belly strap and the tags,forwardly extending hold back straps secured to the tugs and havingmeans for detachably connecting the shaft or thill, and strapsdetachably connected to the transverse back strap and having means fordetachably engaging the shafts or thills.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON HOLDER.

\Vitnesses C. \V. lVarsoN, J. N. \VHITE.

